Bands: Bloc Party, IO Echo
Location: Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
Let's do away with pretense, at the time of this writing this is the best concert I have been to this year, and the second best concert I have ever attended, and for this one I'll do a song by song analysis of the show. The enjoyment of the concert for me started hours before. Walking by the doors to the venue while getting our tickets while speculating about what songs they might play, my friend Jeremy was hoping that we'd here Waiting for the 7:18 and just as we walked by we heard the opening bit on bells which sent him into a small fit of joy, something I can definitely understand. Bloc party has a habit of playing at least one really old slow song in their set so we were speculating on what that could be, and I was hoping for Kreuzberg, something they didn't play that night, but I don't have any complaints.
The opener IO Echo was strange and easily forgettable, just last week I saw the name on a sign for another show and my friend who went to Bloc Party with me couldn't even remember who they were other than he had seen the name. For this show, I'll do it song by song.
1. So He Begins to Lie
Like the last time I saw them they opened with just a basic beat playing for about a minute before the band came out to the loud and enthusiastic cheers of the crowd. Kele Okereke (pictured above), who has one of my favorite voices in music, with an accent that does not get lost in his singing, belts out the first line getting the crowd immediately into the show. The highlight is towards the end of the song when with one hand in the air he screams the title of the song, pausing between each word before the band goes into a loud short jam session followed by a short ending to the song.
2. Trojan Horse
Always one for talking to the crowd, something I love, Kele introduces the band and immediately dives right into Trojan Horse a good solid song but for an amazing set, one song that just didn't grab me like other, although part of that is the quality of the show, at almost any other show and compared to almost any other band it would have been the best thing played.
3. Hunting For Witches
Before the beginning of the song he addresses the crowd asking us to get the party started with them, which with the choice of a third song worked out well. The chorus and the verses have a different beat and style which keeps the song going and it's something the crowd knows well.
4. Like Eating Glass
This song was something I enjoyed seeing on the setlist, especially since the last time I saw them they only played it because someone was holding a sign up in the crowd, so clearly they listen to their fans. Another solid song and the shows moves forward, the whole time with me completely drawn into the show.
5. Octopus
Now was a particularly fun one, as it is a rather odd song to begin with, which starts with Kele handed away his guitar and dancing around on the stage, probably having even more fun than those of us in the crowd. This song I particularly love if nothing more because of two things, I want to know who Mary Anna is that he sings about and because I'll randomly get texts from a friend of mine of the best line in the song "You've done lost your mind", which Kele sings out emphatically before going back into the chorus.
6. Real Talk
Another solid song, but to me not especially memorable. Although the song did start with him debating about whether or not he should wear a Flyers hat that someone in the crowd through onto the stage.
7. Waiting for the 7:18
We heard the bell part which is one of the most distinct songs by them and the crowd immediately cheered all as excited as I was, but I doubt anyone more excited than Jeremy. Bloc Party has a way of bringing emotion into songs and still keeping them loud and amazing live, it was one of the highlights of the show.
8. Song for Clay (Disappearing Here)
I don't know if this is my favorite moment of the show, but it's definitely up there. Instead of opening the song with the recorded version, they opened it with a slow version of Kele's own song Tenderoni before he screamed out "C'mon Baltimore, show us what you got!" at which point they unleashed on us the intro to a truly amazing bit of playing which has one of my favorite lines in all of Bloc Party and one of my live concert moments towards the end where all the instruments drop out for a part of it and the crowd chants along with them "Because East London is a vampire, it sucks the joy right out of me, a truly, how we long for corruption in these golden years" before diving back into the song.
9. Banquet
Without even skipping a beat they dive right into their song, Banquet, clearly a crowd favorite, and the show just keeps flowing on beautifully.
10. Coliseum
Another loud fast song, which they played unbelievably.
11. Children of the Future
With the tenth song, Bloc Party reward us with a new song, Children of the Future, a truly enjoyable song that I really look forward to hearing the studio version of, and something next time I look forward to being able to sing along with.
12. One More Chance
Another great song with a little bit of a different almost dance-like tone that is clearly designed to get the crowd to join in with him, which he really didn't need to do much work to get.
13. We Are Not Good People
"Alright Bloc Party, no fucking around, let's give it to them." And boy they did. The song highlights what Bloc Party might just do best, play unbelievably fast and loud with Kele singing so fast sometimes it's almost like a punk show. The song ended and they disappeared, just at a peak, going off at a perfect time to set up an encore.
Encore:
14. Signs
Coming out to a chant of "olay olay olay" from the crowd, they pulled in an old staple which was the perfect way to set it up, bring us in slow, which almost felt like a set up for the tour de force of the next song.
15. Ares
"As I was saying Baltimore, this is the second half of our performance, and if I was honest we were kind of going a little bit easy on you in the first half. Hands up if you have a little bit of fight left inside of you. Oh wow full house. Well then Baltimore I hope you enjoy this." The guitar, which almost sounds like sirens starts. "You see this song, is a song for fighting to, so don't be a pussy and show us what you've got." Like the last time I saw them, the crowd just exploded to this song, it's almost like they had the same intention that a band like Foo Fighters has with All My Life, no matter matter what is going on in that show, this song will rev the show up to a whole nother level.
16. This Modern Love
This may have been my favorite moment of the show. "I know that you're not just fighters Baltimore, I know that you are lovers to, this is an old song, and it's a love song." This is probably my second favorite Bloc Party song, the site address for this is taken from the opening verse. With the opening chords of the song you can feel the energy that is left in us after a song like Ares spill out as emotions to the beauty of the song that had me jumping up and down like I did at shows when I was 16.
17. Flux with We Found Love (Rihanna Cover) intro
This is where Kele claimed the final song came, even lying trying to lie to an audience member. Bloc Party does something magical with this song. To start, they open the song with a Rihanna cover and completely make it their own song, where if you didn't know the song previously you might instantly fall in love with it and believe it was theirs. They then take a song that I generally am not a huge fan of it and still make it a seriously good time.
Encore 2:
18. Sunday
Here's where they lie to us again and tell them they are gonna play one more, which we know immediately is not true. Sunday is a beautiful song which those in the crowd in relationships use as a way to kind of sway or dance with their respective love ones, a song that makes us all there alone wish we had someone, which is quite a powerful thing to do with a song. I found out later that in this spot a few nights later they played Kreuzberg, but I'm not complaining, it was an absolutely amazing show.
19. Helicopter
Ah, now this song. The most bittersweet part of the show, because at this point you know it's the end. But Bloc Party, goes out with a bang. The song is fast, loud and leaves you exhausted but yet wanting the show to go on forever. And instead of just walking off, when the song is over, the band gathers at the center of the stage and gives us a final well deserved bow, hopefully to return again soon.
So Bloc Party. Wow, just wow. I won't go into details just yet about their first show I saw, but suffice it to say it was the only concert I've been to that was better than this one to me. I don't know if it's because the crowd is so into them that they are able to put on such a good show, like some kind of feedback between the crowd and the band or if it's just Bloc Party but they were unbelievably amazing. I look forward to the next time they tour nearby, and if they do multiple shows within 100 miles I will do my best to go to every single one.
Current Concert List:
Tyler Hilton at the Hamilton on January 5Yellowcard at the 930 Club on January 11Bloc Party at Ram's Head Live on January 12Rhett Miller at Jammin' Java on January 18The Lumineers at DAR Constitution Hall on January 30Reel Big Fish at Ram's Head Live on February 1Wakey!Wakey! at Jammin' Java on February 2Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Ram's Head Live on February 4Coheed and Cambria at 930 Club on February 5Dropkick Murphys at 930 Club on March 10Finch at Fillmore Silver Spring on March 14- Shamrockfest at RFK Stadium on March 16
- Sigur Ros at Patrior Center on March 24
- Stone Sour at Fillmore Silver Spring on April 11
- Andrew McMahon at 930 Club on April 15
- Rhett Miller at the Hamilton on April 18
- What's Eating Gilbert at Jammin' Java on April 23
- How to Destroy Angels at Fillmore Silver Spring on April 30
- DC 101 Chili Cook-Off at RFK Stadium on May 4
- Ryan Bingham at Birchmere on May 10
- Sweetlife Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 11
- Radio 104.5's Birthday Show at Susquehanna Bank Center on May 12
- Alkaline Trio at Ram's Head Live on May 17
- Paramore at Fillmore Silver Spring on May 18
- Metric at Rams Head Live on June 7
- Of Monsters and Men at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 11
- Glen Hansard at 930 Club on June 16
- Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, and Gwar at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 17
- Postal Service at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 18
- Get the Led Out at Ram's Head Live on June 22
- Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers at Wolf Trap on June 24
- Heart and the Jason Bonham Experience at Jiffy Lube Live on June 25
- She+Him at Wolf Trap on July 11
- Fun. at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 20
- Mayhem Festival at Jiffy Lube Live on July 24
- The Lumineers at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 26
- OAR at Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 1
- Jay-Z/Justin Timberlake at M+T Bank Stadium on August 8
- Huey Lewis and the News at Wolf Trap on August 13
- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Wolf Trap on August 13
- Josh Groban at Wolf Trap on August 16
- Hot August Blues at Oregon Ridge Park on August 17
- Pat Benatar and Cheap Trick at Wolf Trap on August 20
- Colin Hay at Birchmere on October 5
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